Different Than the Others
by William Dye
Summary: Alec Lightwood (Originally Alexandra) is much different than that of the rest of his family. Magnus Bane doesn't even have a real family any more, just step-families that he left at one point or another. When the two meet, sparks fly instantly, and there's no doubt in either of their minds that they aren't too different than each other.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm honestly sorry if this sucks. This was my first attempt at this kind of thing, and I really hope it isn't too bad.**

** I do not own these characters, either. They belong to Cassandra Clare, unfortunately for me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! -Will Dye**

**Chapter One**

I bit my lip slightly as I felt a cold blob of something start to become rubbed into my scalp. So far, all I knew was that I had a towel over my mouth and nose, and I was staring down at a sink running water. The liquid pooled into the porcelain basin, and I just watched as the stream poured down, bubbles erupting out where the splashing water met the calm pool beneath. I reached out to dip a finger into the basin, before another hand tugged my own back with haste. Something spread onto my pale skin, and as I tried to look, the hand pushed my head back down, almost into the sink.

"Stop it! Alec, wait until I'm finished, _please_." An irritated voice snapped at me, and I blinked a bit, trying to realize fully what had just happened.

Isabelle had forced me into dying my hair, and so far, it had been her dumbest idea yet. I knew that she'd bleach out my black hair, and make it as horrific looking as possible. But, hey, maybe she'd learned after dying her own hair violet last month.

I'd only decided to let her do this after she gushed to me it'd look great. Now I was bleaching out my hair, and hoping Isabelle would do a good enough job so that I'd be presentable for this summer. The break had only started a few days ago, and I wanted to impress somebody, possibly. It had been only months since I came out as gay, and since my ratty self wasn't attractive to "like, anyone," I decided I'd get into a new style. Since then, I had an industrial bar piercing, got one beanie that I decorated with pins, and a bunch of tight-fitting band tees and skinny jeans. Now, now it was time for the hair.

My hair had grown out since the beginning of 7th grade, and now it flopped into my eyes, and hung past my jaw. Isabelle thought I was a sensitive emo guy, and she absolutely fawned over my appearance any chance she got. She'd hug me, and tell me that some guys were probably drooling when they saw me out in public.

However, it's rare for me to go out in public unless I need to go clothes shopping. I mainly write stories on the internet, and sell them as ebooks on Amazon. It's really my only means of income. Lots of people buy my books, and I'm glad about that. While the reviews are iffy, I'm still considered pretty good amongst ebook authors. However, I also post videos to YouTube.

I have a channel where I update viewers about my life as one of the few transgender students in my entire school.

Um, yeah. I kinda started cross-dressing as a guy in 6th grade, and went from Alexandra to Alexander, which was therefore shortened to "Alec". I'm a girl, yeah. But, I don't exactly look like one. Well, not to myself, honestly. I am quite skinny, with no hips or breasts to be heard of. Also, I don't have that feminine of a face. However, I do have a slightly masculine voice, and the same tendencies, I assume.

I glanced up in the mirror, seeing that whatever had been scrubbed into my hair slowly bleaching out the ebony color of my hair. Isabelle tugged a cap that the hair dye had come with onto my head, and grinned.

"Done! Just wait and hour and thirty minutes!" She cheered, and hugged me tightly.

Izzy was about eleven years old, starting 6th grade next school year. However, she was bustier that me. Even her hips were much wider! It was odd, considering that assets were kind of a thing in the family. All of the women in my family were extremely curvy, except for me. Maybe that's why I felt so insecure as a female. But, now that I was just skinny Alec, I was content with my lack of assets.

All I had was big blue eyes, a small mouth, and a slightly larger nose. Oh, and a bunch of bones just covered by skin. I had no muscle to speak of, and that was one thing I was also ashamed of.

I had been the most unathletic member of my family. All I could do was run, and that was it. I couldn't even punch well-I'd just get smacked hard in response, and get extremely hurt. That's why I didn't face my own problems. I ran, I did anything I could to avoid being hurt. Though, I was glad I could at least outrun my foes.

However, Izzy did find me pathetic in that sense. Everyone did.

I just shook the thought from my head, and raced back into my room. The door slammed behind me. I heard my father shriek "Don't shut the door so loud!" in my midst, but I didn't even give a bit of attention to it. All I did was hide behind my laptop screen, and continue to write the story I had neglected for half an hour.

It was painful to leave my stories-they were my one escape from reality, the one thing I could count on to make me feel safe and sound.

Instantly, I stuck my earbuds into my ears, and proceeded to listen to about fifteen different techno songs that I liked a lot. I smiled warmly to myself, and my fingers danced about the keyboard as I continued to type.

Honestly, I may have been sitting there writing for about an hour when Izzy finally burst into the room.

"Alec, dear god, why didn't you come back?! You're supposed to remember these things, you lug!" She gasped, tugging me away from my music and writing once again. I glared at her when she wasn't looking, making sure that she didn't know I was totally pissed.

We stood in the bathroom, gazing at my bleached hair in awe. I had just taken my shower and dried it. It was gorgeous, and I couldn't help but just keep running my fingers through it.

"I love it!" Isabelle smiled proudly, and combed it about.

I watched as she glanced about it, seeing what different colors of blonde my hair had turned.

Quietly, I told myself that I wouldn't dye it yet. It would be like this for the summer, and then when school started up again I'd dye it some color.

Smiling to myself that night, I spiked my hair up, hoping it looked decent.

Surprisingly, I didn't actually hate it. In fact, it was extremely pretty spiked. I then went to go wash it out in the sink, and after that, curled up into bed.

That next day, I was going to the library to pick up some books I'd been wanting to read before summer ended. I kept a mental note of that as I drifted off to sleep.

**A/N: OH MY GOD, THAT WAS AWFUL.**

** I AM SO SORRY I SUBJECTED YOU TO THAT, INTERNET. I'M….I'M SUPER SORRY.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

I gazed intently at a small variety of books that the public library had on transgender individuals. While I expected them to have nothing, they had about three or four books on the subject, just multiple copies of each. My fingers traced over the spines as I read the blurb on the back of each. Only one of them actually told about being transgender, how to tell family members, friends, and significant others. I clutched it to my chest absentmindedly, and walked into the fiction section of the library, hoping to find other books that I'd been wanting to read for months now.

None of them, however, seemed to be the particular book I was hoping to find. I groaned, and leaned against the bookshelf. A woman with short, mousy hair glanced at me, then poked my arm. My eyes turned directly to her, and I gazed in concern.

She smiled very faintly.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?"

Quietly, I nodded, and pushed some of the blonde sections of my hair back.

The woman stood at the bookshelf beside me, skimming some of the titles.

"Which one are you looking for, sweetie?" She asked me in a hushed voice.

I shrugged as I attempted to remember which book I had even wanted. It was some book with gay characters, but then again, that could apply to a small portion of the books in this library.

"Um, Vampire Kisses. Do you have any copies of the sixth book in?" I stammered, in an attempt to not seem like a total dweeb.

Though, I was extremely sure I had failed in that sense.

The woman leaded me to one of the back rows of shelves, and thumbed through a few books that I couldn't even find remotely interesting.

"No, I think the whole series got checked out yesterday. I'm sorry, Miss." She apologized, as I glared.

"Ahem, I'm not a 'Miss'."

The woman shook her head. "I'm extremely sorry, Sir. I'll be going now."

She left in a rush, which would have been nice if I had known what book I wanted to check out, and who it was by. I didn't even know the genre!

Quietly, I disappeared in the back, and skimmed the audiobooks. Nothing of interest, honestly. But, there was quite a few titles that I actually really liked. Even some of the covers were extremely beautiful. It was at that moment I heard something that I didn't expect to hear.

"Hey, can I see that book you're holding?"

I turned quickly, my breath almost drained from me as I gasped silently. A taller boy stood in front of me, his hair spiked up in a careless but controlled way. He had perfectly tanned skin, glitter shimmering up and down said skin. The boy was simply dressed in black skinny jeans, a loose rainbow shirt, and Chuck Taylors that I only wished I could own. He looked to be wearing makeup-eyeliner and a sleek coat of lip gloss, my best guess beyond the glitter that had been caked onto his eyes. His lips curled into a half-smirk, and his luminous green-gold eyes gazed me up and down.

My heart pounded in my chest, as I backed against the shelf. I didn't know how to respond to his question. It was just his appearance that made me feel all hot and bothered. Why was I saying this about a guy? I didn't think I even liked guys. Considering my current identity status, it was slightly odd.

Before I started crossdressing, I assumed I was bisexual. Really, I don't think I have a sexual orientation. I don't really want to have one, but this one random guy was just making me question everything. He made me question my attraction towards girls, guys, everything. My head was starting to hurt, it really was.

"Oh, um, it's a transgender identity book. N-not like I'm transgender or . . . anything. Just, I wanted to check it out because the topic is . . . interesting, I guess. W-why do you ask?" I struggled to form the words in those sentences, and it was extremely hard for me to even form proper vowels.

The boy shrugged, and blinked casually.

"I thought the cover was really pretty. Oh, and, I really like your outfit." He smiled almost shyly as he pointed at my shirt.

Quietly, I smiled. My shirt simply stated "Boytoy", with a robot displaying a pixelated heart on his chest. Then, black skinny jeans and Converse. Really, I hadn't tried on my outfit. But, I guess that if someone of his fashion sense complimenting my own outfit was a good thing. Actually, it was a really good thing, I think.

"Oh, t-thanks a ton. I really love your outfit, an-" I would have continued, until I realized that I was going to tell him that he was extremely attractive.

I blushed furiously, and attempted to make sure he wouldn't see. Thank god I was shorter than him. He tried catching another glimpse at me, as I looked up, my eyebrows raised. The boy grinned, and laughed quietly.

"What's your name, strange human?" He asked, as I giggled almost uncontrollably.

Quickly, I cleared my throat, and took one more second to stop laughing.

"Alexan-Alec!"

He raised one eyebrow.

"Is Alec short for Alexander?" He asked, resting one hand on his cocked hip.

Hastily, I nodded. "Y-yeah. I'm super sorry."

The boy smiled at me, then rested one hand on my shoulder.

"Well, Alexander, I'm Magnus. And, yes, I do, in fact, live up to my name's meaning."

I blushed, hoping that he'd stop doing whatever he was doing to me. His hand was warm, and the heat radiated through my body.

"W-what does Magnus mean . . . ?" I asked, sounding as if I was in a trance.

Magnus giggled, and smiled at me in a sweet way.

"It means 'great', darling. And you're 'defender of men', Alexander. Do you live up to your namesake?" He asked, as I simply shrugged.

"I don't know if I . . . defend anyone, really."

He smiled, as he drew his hand away from my shoulder. I meekly grinned back at him, and chortled in a quiet way.

Quickly, Magnus pulled a pen from a bag hanging to his hip. "Let me get your phone number, Alexander. I like your social awkwardness."

It was odd having someone compliment me, and I just decided to go along with it. If he liked that I was more than a huge dork, I assumed that he'd be fine with how I normally was-a nerd that quoted TV shows and books. I gazed at Magnus, and watched as he extended one of his tanned hands to me. A small piece of purple paper rested between his thin, long fingers. The nails were painted with a clear, glittery coat. I smiled faintly as he pulled my hand from my side, rested the paper in my palm, and closed my fingers around it, patting my hand gently and sweetly.

I blushed intensely, and watched as he walked away slowly. Magnus turned back only once to grin at me, and simply say "Bye, Alexander."

Quietly, I stood in the back row of shelves, holding a piece of paper from a stranger in my hand as my blush refused to fade. I adjusted my hair back, and stared at Magnus as he drifted away into the distance.

I think I stood there for a while, with nothing in my mind but Magnus. Izzy finally showed up, and helped me check out my book. We were driven home by our mom, but not one word was spoken from me the whole trip. While my mother questioned Izzy about my silence, my sister just shrugged.

"Honestly, I dunno. Maybe she finally fell in love."

I looked down, blushing at the comment.

"He, Izzy. He. I told you that."

She raised her hands to either of her sides, in her defense.

"_Sorry_, Alec."

I groaned, and turned my thoughts back to Magnus.

What was this feeling in my heart that made it flutter, this feeling that made my legs go weak and jittery, this same feeling that made my cheeks constantly color with red?

Whatever it was, I'd get to the bottom of it, I _knew_ it.

Well, at least I _hoped_ I would.

**A/N: OH MY GOD, THERE, MAGNUS SHOWED UP.**

**I'M SORRY, I COULDN'T WAIT. THE GLITTER GOD JUST HAD TO SHOW UP IN THIS CHAPTER.**

**Anyway, I hope this chapter was enjoyable, and not too long. It almost showed up as three full pages in Google Docs, so yeah. :)**

**Yeah, I'll be seeing you guys in the next chapter!**

**-Will Dye**


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